Wisk Aero LLC

Kitty Hawk Corporation

Kitty Corporation

Eric Allison

James Joseph Tighe

Ilan Kroo

John Melack

Thomas P Muniz

Herve Martins-Rivas

Neel Vora

Jim Bungener

Marshall Gusman

A multicopter with angled rotors includes a fuselage and a plurality of rotors. At least some of the rotors are disposed on opposite sides of the fuselage and each is oriented at a corresponding angle to a substantially horizontal plane of the aircraft, the angle being of a magnitude such that a plane of rotation of the rotor does not intersect at least a critical portion of the fuselage.

Multicopter with angled rotors

A multicopter aircraft with boom-mounted rotors may include a fuselage; a port side wing coupled to the fuselage; and a starboard side wing coupled to the fuselage. Each of the wings has mounted thereto one or more booms, each boom having a forward end extending forward of a corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted and an aft end extending aft of said corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted. The aircraft further includes a first plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said first plurality being mounted on a forward end of a corresponding one or said booms; and a second plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said second plurality being mounted on an aft end of a corresponding one or said booms. Each rotor produces vertical thrust independent of the thrust produced by the other rotors.

Multicopter with boom-mounted rotors

In various embodiments, a tilt-wing aircraft includes a fuselage; a first wing tiltably mounted at or near a forward end of the fuselage; and a second wing rotatably mounted to the fuselage at a position aft of the first wing. A first plurality of rotors is mounted on the first wing at locations on or near a leading edge of the first wing, with two or more rotors being mounted on wing portions on each side of the fuselage; and a second plurality of rotors mounted on the second wing at locations on or near a leading edge of the second wing, with two or more rotors being mounted on wing portions on each side of the fuselage. A flight control system generates a set of actuators and associated actuator parameters to achieve desired forces and moments.

Tilt-wing aircraft

A multicopter aircraft with boom-mounted rotors is may include a fuselage; a port side wing coupled to the fuselage; and a starboard side wing coupled to the fuselage. Each of the wings has mounted thereto one or more booms, each boom having a forward end extending forward of a corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted and an aft end extending aft of said corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted. The aircraft further includes a first plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said first plurality being mounted on a forward end of a corresponding one or said booms; and a second plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said second plurality being mounted on an aft end of a corresponding one or said booms. Each rotor produces vertical thrust independent of the thrust produced by the other rotors.

An aircraft hybrid cooling system is disclosed. The aircraft hybrid cooling system includes a conduit through an aircraft that is configured to allow airflow through the conduit. The aircraft hybrid cooling system additionally includes a battery assembly positioned in the conduit, configured to provide for airflow past a battery in the battery assembly in a first mode of operation and configured to provide flow of a cooling medium past the battery in a second mode of operation. In some embodiments, the battery in the battery assembly is cooled via airflow in the event the aircraft is in flight and is cooled via an applied cooling medium in the event the aircraft is grounded.

Aircraft hybrid cooling system

A multicopter aircraft with boom-mounted rotors is disclosed. The multicopter includes a fuselage; a port side wing coupled to the fuselage; and a starboard side wing coupled to the fuselage. Each of the wings has mounted thereto one or more booms, each boom having a forward end extending forward of a corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted and an after end extending aft of said corresponding wing to which the boom is mounted. The aircraft further includes a first plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said first plurality being mounted on a forward end of a corresponding one or said booms; and a second plurality of lift rotors, each rotor in said second plurality being mounted on an after end of a corresponding one or said booms. Each rotor produces vertical thrust independent of the thrust produced by the other rotors.

A flight control system is disclosed. In various embodiments, a flight control system includes a data storage device configured to store an aerodynamic model; and a processor coupled to the data storage device and configured to use the aerodynamic model to determine a set of actuators and for each actuator in the set a corresponding set of one or more actuator parameters to achieve a desired set of forces and moments. The aerodynamic model provides for each actuator in the set of actuator corresponding force and moment data for each of a first set of operating conditions based on a first set of simulations performed by varying one or more actuator parameters while holding other actuators at a baseline value and a second set of simulations to determine interactions between the actuator and said other actuators under each of a second set of operating conditions.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Eric Allison